ASC patient growth is expected to grow by 25% by 2029, according to Vizient, Inc., a healthcare performance improvement company. Several factors are driving ASC growth.
1. Cost
ASC costs are significantly less than having surgery in a hospital. Outpatient joint replacements performed in an ASC can cost 40% less than those performed in a hospital, and other procedures, such as rotator cuff repair and knee arthroscopy, can cost over 50% less.
2. Technological and Other Advances
Surgery centers were once only for simple cases. Advances in surgical techniques, robotics, anesthesia, and pain management have allowed surgery centers to do more complex cases cost-effectively and efficiently. The adaptation of robotics has reduced surgery cost and recovery time while increasing the surgeries that ASC are able to perform.
3. Inpatient-only Procedures List
Medicare, Medicaid, and Insurance Companies are eliminating their inpatient-only procedures list and expanding the number of procedures that can be provided at ASCs.
4. Lower infection rate
According to statistics, patients are 10x more likely to contract an infection in a hospital setting compared to those in an ASC setting. Because ASCs are outpatient only, cutting the amount of time that a patient spends in the hospital can decrease the risk of infection.
5. Accessibility
In a report by NRC Health, 51% of patients said the most critical factor when deciding on health care services is convenient access to care. ASCs can locate themselves in shopping centers and near neighborhoods giving their patients easier access to treatment.
Cost, Technological Advances, and Reduction in the Inpatient-only procedures list among other factors have aided in the growing demand of ASCs. We do not expect to see this slowdown any time soon.
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